Rising rents. Stagnant wages. Homelessness. Gentrification. Today's big stories in Los Angeles have a common thread: a gap in social and economic equity. A report found that L.A. has the 7th highest level of income inequality in the country.

John Ridley, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “12 Years a Slave” continues to tackle subjects that are relevant to today’s America. The unstoppable Ridley is now working on a comic book sequel, “The American Way: Those Above and Those Below.”

Char Miller | KCET

Char Miller

Director and W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College, and author of "Public Lands, Public Debates: A Century of Controversy" (Oregon State University Press) and editor of "Cities and Nature in the American West" (University of Nevada Press). His new books for 2013 include "On the Edge: Water, Immigration, and Politics in the Southwest" (Trinity University Press), "Death Valley National Park: A History" (University of Nevada Press), and "Seeking the Greatest Good: The Conservation Legacy of Gifford Pinchot" (University of Pittsburgh Press).

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